[drc]

For it to be 1800s, it would be oil paint not acrylic. Acrylic is synthetic oil paint was introduced in the 1940s-50s. While oil paint exists today, it's not something the average sports fan or hobbyist would use. If you showed it to someone familiar with art paint, perhaps a neighborhood hobbyist painter, he or she might be able tell what type of paint it is just be looking at it. For those familiar with paints, it's usually fairly easy to tell the difference between oil and acrylic.

Also, collectors of metal toys use black lights to judge the age of the paint, as antiques are commonly repainted. Modern paint usually fluoresces, while antique paint tends not to. Paint loses its fluorescence over the years.